Weekend events planner

Here are the top 8 things to do in Houston this weekend

Even though it’s a short work week, the weekend still can’t get here soon enough. Ready to have some fun? We hear you. From lively festivals to can’t-miss food events, read on for the top eight things to do in Houston this weekend. For more options, check out the full CultureMap Events Calendar.

Deep in the heart
Thursday, June 1
Head to posh downtown residential high-rise The Star Houston for a Texas-themed three-course dinner, including cocktail pairings, by chef and former contestant on the Food Network's Chopped Javani King.

A cheese and fruit board gets things started before course one, an Heirloom tomato salad with aioli, 25-year-old balsamic, and burrata cheese, is served. It’s followed by a main entree of pan-roasted quail with aioli blanched garlic potato puree and braised kale, and chocolate bourbon pecan pie for dessert. Proceeds benefit nonprofit Preservation Houston. (6:30-9 pm; tickets: $50-$70 per person; free valet)
1111 Rusk St.

Back in time
Friday, June 2-Sunday, June 4
Experience up-close encounters with a lifelike Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and T-Rex at Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed event at NRG Arena. Kid-friendly activities include miniature golf, a scavenger hunt, digging for fossils, and play time in the Adventure Zone with bounce houses, crafts, and face painting. (Various times; tickets: $15-$19 per person)
1 NRG Park; 612-375-9670

Mermaid tale
Friday, June 2
Polish fantasy horror flick The Lure puts an adult spin on The Little Mermaid. The storyline involves two mermaid sisters, caught in a love triangle when they fall for the same man. Catch a showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (7 pm; tickets: $7-$9 per person)
1001 Bissonnet St.; 713-639-7300

Soccer state of mind
Saturday, June 3
Kick it at FM Kitchen and Bar, where you can catch the play-by-play as Juventus takes on Real Madrid in UEFA Champions League soccer final. Score big thanks to specially priced Italian and Spanish beers ($1 off while each respective country's team leads the game) available all throughout the match. (1:45 pm; tickets: free entry)

Get your game on early with spins by DJ Ryan McKay (10 am-kickoff), and work up a thirst as former Houston Dynamo Mike Chabala, of soccer-inspired fitness club Sphere, leads two workout classes. (Classes are at 10 am and 11 am; tickets: Space is limited with free admission for the first 10 people to arrive)
1112 Shepherd Dr.

Music fest
Saturday, June 3-Sunday, June 4
The lineup of more than 55 artists on four stages at the 2017 Free Press Summer Festival includes headliners Lorde, Flume, G-Eazy, Cage The Elephant, Solange, and The Shins. Fuel up at the festival food court with elevated bites by chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan of The Pass and Provisions. (11 am - 11 pm on Saturday, 11 am - 10 pm on Sunday; tickets: $148 per person)
150 Sabine St.; 888-512-7469

Where the wild things are
Sunday, June 4
On loan from the Natural History Museum in London, the 52nd "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" exhibition/competition at The Houston Museum of Natural Science features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behavior to breathtaking wild landscapes. The annual contest receives almost 50,000 entries from 96 countries, with this year’s 100 award-winning images showcased in an international tour across six continents. (9 am; tickets: $25 per adult and $15 per child)
5555 Hermann Park Dr.; 713-639-4629

Car show
Sunday, June 4
The Houston Exotic Auto Festival and Luxury Lifestyle E-X-P-O hits NRG Arena with a display of luxe automobiles from McLaren, Aston Martin, Jaguar, and more. (11 am; tickets: $20-$35 per person)
1 NRG Park; 713-629-3700

Puppy love
Sunday, June 4
At the Chefs for Paws fundraiser at The Merrill House, enjoy tastings created by a roster of local top chefs, including Martha DeLeon (Pax Americana), Alyssa Dole (Cherry Pie Hospitality), Felix Flores (Ritual), Ben McPherson (Krisp Bird & Batter), and Ryan Hildebrand (FM Kitchen and Bar). You’ll also enjoy cocktails from Deep Eddy Vodka, beer from Goliad Brewing, and wine from Cannonball Wines. Proceeds go to Rescued Pets Movement. (5-7 pm; tickets: $75 per person on up to $500 for a VIP table for eight)
2502 Algerian Way; 713- 360-2002

Experience up-close encounters with a lifelike Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and T-Rex at Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed at NRG Arena.

VStar Entertainment presents Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed

Photo courtesy of VStar Entertainment

Experience up-close encounters with a lifelike Stegosaurus, Velociraptor, and T-Rex at Discover the Dinosaurs Unleashed at NRG Arena.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay